Liberation at a Cost
by Ca-Ca-Calico
Summary: "Even the smallest alterations can cause tremendous phenomenons." She doesn't know how. She doesn't know why, but here Ginny is in 1944 and you know she's going to do something about it.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Her footsteps echoed through the long and quiet corridor and yet Ginny could not hear them. All the blood had rushed to her head and all she could hear was the faint drum against her temples. Not a student or teacher in sight. She assumed they were still outside across from the Black Lake, paying their respects to the headmaster. As utterly depressing as it all was she could not muster a tear. She could barely comprehend what had happened in the past 24 hours. It all seemed completely impossible and yet here she was.

Her mind fluttered back to her past conversation with Harry. The break up. It seemed so inconsequential after all that had happened and yet it brought her the most pain. How could everything go so wrong?

Of course she understood Harry's reasoning, how could she not? He was choosing her safety, everyone's safety.

 _He'll always be that way. It's just Harry._ The redhead sighed as she swept down the enchanted staircase to a location she did not have in mind. The portraits were in mourning too. Each quieter and more subdued than usual giving Ginny sympathetic nods, seemingly sharing the grief the wizarding world felt at this moment.

The future. What was going to happen? This was why she had begun her mindless walk through Hogwarts after the funeral, after the break up. Everything was just feeling wrong, the feeling that something was not right could be felt in every cell in her body. Everything was going to change, but what would change for her? Harry certainly could not stay. They all knew that he was the key and that he had a mission. That much was evident with the break up. With Dumbledore's death everything had been pushed into motion.

Ginny found herself walking through an unfamiliar corridor, but it did not stop her from continuing, too lost in her own thoughts. She continued to worry over what will become of the world. Voldemort had all the power now. An involuntary shiver ran down Ginny's spine as she thought back to her very first year in Hogwarts, being possessed by the diary. The things Voldemort could do were unimaginable to most students here, but definitely not to her. There was always hope though. Harry Potter.

Another sigh left her lips as she thought of Harry. Their time together had been cut so short. They hadn't even been given a chance to become everything they could have been. She was thankful of their time together, however fleeting, and knew she would stand by him forever, though what would that entail now? She believed in the cause wholeheartedly but what could she, a fifth year student, do?

Shaking her head she internally chastised herself. _Stop being so emotional. I will do whatever I can, just as I always have._ Nodding her head and feeling more determined she looked around to properly determine her surroundings.

"Merlin's beard, where am I?" She muttered.

"Something told me you'd be here"

Ginny swivelled around and saw, standing underneath an archway, Luna Lovegood, dressed in her eccentric funeral attire. Her face was rosier than usual. It was evident she had been crying and yet her eyes held a twinkle of excitement and urgency.

Luna rushed towards Ginny with such vigour that it startled Ginny who could only splutter as Luna suddenly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her through the courtyard.

"What's going on? W-What are you doing?" Ginny stammered, trying to steady her footing to keep up with Luna's quick pace. The blonde said nothing, not even looking back at Ginny, but continued to walk through the next corridor.

 _This is odd, even for Luna's standards…. Maybe she's found a nargle_ , Ginny mused. Luna's pace began to slow as she seemingly neared her destination, the east side courtyard. Luna and Ginny's hang out spot for the past year. It was the most peaceful place in Hogwarts she knew with hardly any people wandering by. At this moment it was completely empty.

Luna suddenly halted and spun to face Ginny. Her eyes bored into Ginny's with such focus Ginny could only stare confusedly.

"No one could just be born that way; there are just too many factors. The more I pondered this the easier it became to understand what needs to be done." She spoke urgently, very unlike Luna. Ginny's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to understand what this had to do with the current situation.

"Uh, Professor Dumbledore will be missed by everyone Luna. Did you want to sit d-"

"Who made him this way? What made him this way? Could magic be so cruel? Was dark magic involved?" Luna turned again and began to pace through the courtyard. Her hands making gestures, but of what Ginny did not know.

"What are you talking about Luna? Is everything ok? Besides the obvious of course." Ginny tentatively walked towards Luna thinking of ways to try and calm her down. She was not acting like herself at all. If anything she seemed startled herself by her own behaviour.

"If I know what to do then what is stopping me from doing it, Ginny?" The blonde girl stopped her pacing. Her arms falling to her sides as she once again looked towards Ginny.

"Maybe if you just explain-"

"Nothing."

There was an air of finality around her statement. Ginny didn't know what to say so she continued to stare at Luna who in turn was staring up into the sky.

"Is there anything I can do, Luna?" She questioned while walking closer to her.

Luna continued to look towards the sky but murmured under her breath "Of all people you would understand him the most but only I can take this burden." Her pacing began again for a few moments when suddenly she stopped and began to rummage through the sleeves of her robe. Eventually she pulled out what looked like a small blue stone. Ginny peered at the stone and questioningly glanced at Luna.

Suddenly Luna thrust the stone towards her, taking Ginny's hands to place the gem within. She closed her hands around the stone and looked at Luna.

"Just keep it on you. You can keep me safe. Mum always said this was the way back. If I could take you I would but I just can't. Please understand that it's necessary. If all goes to plan you won't even notice I'm gone… Then again, when does anything ever go to plan?"

This was all very confusing. "What is going on here? Where are you going?" Ginny felt a bubble of panic rising within her. Was this about what she felt this morning, this feeling of something not being in place, something that was wrong? Luna was one of her closest friends and it sounded as though she was considering something reckless. Strangely enough Ginny began to feel a light tingling in her right hand. The hand that was holding Luna's stone.

"Don't panic. These types of thing have a way of working themselves out." Luna's voice was beginning to sound more normal. Well, Luna's kind of normal. She had calmed down and her melodic voice was back. "I think I will go back to the Ravenclaw tower now."

Lune glided past Ginny and headed in the same direction she had just dragged Ginny from. Not one thing that had come out of her mouth made sense to Ginny. Not even a little bit. For a moment all Ginny could do was stand in slight shock. Her hand began to tingle once more and she stared down in surprise at the small stone in her open palm.

She couldn't just let Luna walk away without at least giving a small explanation of just what exactly all this was about. What was she supposed to do with this weird rock?

"Luna! Wait!" Ginny shouted and began to run after the quirky girl. Her rushed footsteps echoed throughout the courtyard as she attempted to catch up to her friend. Luna slowed her pace but did not stop walking.

"You know everything there is Ginny, Everybody knows. It all depends on who can follow through with it. Don't you think?" Luna said.

"You're making less sense than usual… and I didn't even think that was possible, but here we are." Ginny sighed, trying to think of which confusing part of Luna's speech she should first question. Again her hand felt indescribable warmth. She held up the stone between her finger and her thumb, gesturing towards her friend. "Why have you given me this?"

"I told you already, you can keep me safe." She laughed in amusement. Most probably thinking Ginny was asking inconsequential questions. "Just keep a hold of it. I doubt it will do anything to you, but you can feel it right? The connection?"

"I certainly feel something." Ginny huffed, putting the stone into her pocket for safe keeping. "I can already tell I'm not going to get much out of you so… just stay safe. As safe as you _can_ be at this time."

Luna offered a small smile and took hold of Ginny's wrist, giving it a faint squeeze, before turning around and walking down the corridor. _Like a goodbye,_ Ginny mused.

Sighing once more Ginny turned back towards the courtyard and made her way to the stone bench under shade of the castle walls. She plopped down in a huff, her head aching more so from the confusing conversation with her favourite Ravenclaw.

"The connection." She murmured aloud as she pulled the gem out from her pocket. The stone had miniscule cracks covering it. Ginny ran her fingers across the warm surface. It had no particular shape, nor was it jagged. If it weren't for the striking colour you would not be able to tell it apart from other common rocks on the ground. She wondered what magical properties it held, for what else could explain the warmth she felt each time it was in her hand.

A slight crackling could be heard to her left. Glancing to the side she saw Hermione Granger standing sheepishly on the edge of the courtyard. Ginny looked back down at the stone in her hands. Hearing Hermione walk closer she scooted to the side, leaving enough space for the older girl to join her.

"I spoke to Harry." Hermione said, sympathy laced in her words. "I'm sorry, it's-"

"It sucks," Ginny cut her off, "but it's fine, I'll live." She tried to squash her feelings of annoyance down. Did everyone still think of her as the silly little schoolgirl back in first year?

"I didn't mean to offend, you know that." Hermione murmured, fiddling with a loose thread from her shirt.

Sighing Ginny turned to face her friend. "I apologise for snapping. It's been a long day"

A chuckle left the brunette's lips though there was no humour behind it. "Agreed."

They continued to sit there together while time moved past them. It occurred to Ginny that all of her worries for the future must seem miniscule compared to Hermione's. She would follow Harry to the end of the world, and though Ginny would do the same, they both knew that only Hermione would be there for all of it.

"It was fun for a while, wasn't it?" Ginny smiled thinking back on the good moments she had shared with the trio in the last few months. "It was like we could pretend, just for little while, that there was no threat."

Hermione sighed and nodded. "It was always looming behind us though."

"It's all a bit depressing isn't it?" Hermione let out a laugh and began to stand up, dusting herself off.

"On that note, since you've dealt with break up ever so well, I think I'll try and find your brother and Harry." Hermione gave a wave which Ginny returned and left the courtyard.

The funeral, the break up, Luna's strange speech, this blue stone now in her possession… this was definitely an odd day. Ginny pondered just how long she could get away with avoiding everyone by sitting here in the empty courtyard. Once more she pulled out the stone and absentmindedly twirled it between her fingers.

A light so blinding that Ginny had to squeeze her eyes shut flashed through the courtyard and all of a sudden, she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

When the light had seemingly vanished Ginny tentatively opened her eyes and stood up, apparently too quickly as she felt a wave of nausea. Swaying slightly she peered around. Everything looked the same.

"Where the ruddy hell did that light come from?" Ginny wanted to chalk it up to some silly student's spell misfiring, but something told her it wasn't that.

Feeling that she'd had enough of sitting around doing nothing she began to leave the courtyard and walk back to the Black Lake, but something was different. She wasn't sure what but it was just miniscule things, different portraits in different place. She could have sworn that there were pillars down this corridor…

A feeling of dread washed over her, something was wrong. What kind of spell had been cast? Ginny began to quicken her step, rushing to get to the grounds and see that everything was the same as it had been and that this feeling was just a continuation of her worry for Harry.

She opened the doors to get to the grounds but when she looked out there was no one in sight.

"No no no no." She began to hurry down to where just an hour ago there had been rows and rows of chairs for the funeral. None of it was there.

Panic began to set in now. Scanning the grounds she noticed the Whomping Willow was no longer there.

 _What is going on?_ She saw movement in her peripherals and turned towards it. Hagrid's Hut was sitting where it always had, but hadn't Hagrid's house been set on fire just a while ago? There was no way it had looked that new before.

All of a sudden the door opened and out came a large man with shaggy long black hair, but wait a minute, that certainly wasn't a man and it certainly wasn't Hagrid. He couldn't have been older than herself, tall enough definitely. The giant teen began tending to the large vegetable patch to the right of the hut. There was a familiarity to him that Ginny could not place. She began to walk closer to the hut when suddenly the shaggy-haired teen noticed her presence and looked up.

"Lookin' fer someone?" He called.

The blood drained from her face all at once. Without even consciously thinking about it Ginny began to take a few steps back. That _was_ Hagrid, without a doubt. She took a deep breath span around and sprinted back to the castle. She could hear a young Hagrid calling after her but her mind was in too much of a panic.

"Merlin, what have I done now?"

 _What am I supposed to do? Where am I? Merlin, When am I?_ She was on the verge of hysterical and she knew it. Suddenly she had an idea. Judging by teen Hagrid she must be in the past or under a very strong enchantment. How far she could not be sure, but Dumbledore would have to be around here somewhere if Hagrid was. He would help her.

Ginny changed her direction and began to head for the second floor near the Headmaster's tower, praying that Dumbledore was the current Headmaster. She daren't think she could be back any further in time. The stone pillars flew by as she ran through the empty castle. She wondered where all the students were but also thanking her lucky stars no one was around for she must look quite the sight at this moment, sprinting down the corridors like a madman.

She could see the gargoyle entrance to the Headmaster's office at the end of the corridor and felt relief which turned to dread instantly. What was the password? She thought back to a previous conversation she had had with Harry about the password always being a type of sweet.

Racking her brain, Ginny began listing any that came to her currently frazzled mind. "Uuh, Jelly Slugs. Ice Mice. Fudge Flies….. Cockroach Clusters?"

The Gargoyle remained still.

Letting out a groan, Ginny rested against the castle wall and attempted to think of more sweets. Inspiration struck.

"Sherbet Lemon?"

"Oh my favourite!"

Ginny turned so fast that her hair whipped right into her face causing her to splutter. She reached up to clear her vision and saw two elderly wizards, one looking amused and one befuddled.

Dumbledore Ginny recognised instantly. His half-moon spectacles sitting atop his crooked nose, beard with the colour of auburn running through, shorter than last she saw and he was wearing robes of deep purple. Just being near him she could feel an aura of power and serenity. It almost brought tears to her eyes seeing this powerful wizard standing before her, who just recently, in her time period at least, had been murdered by a man he had trusted. She could not tell how far back she had gone judging by his appearance, but if she had to guess it was well over a decade.

"Who are you? And how did you get into the castle?" Ginny felt light headed, still in quite a shock over her apparent travel back in time. The elderly wizard questioning her was not recognisable to Ginny; he was no professor in her time. He was older than Dumbledore with a grey long beard, though nowhere near Dumbledore's length, and had quite a taut, sharp face. His tone in questioning gave her the impression he was quite the disciplinary.

"Well," There was a long pause and redness crept up to Ginny's cheeks. Her mind was drawing a complete blank. She trusted Dumbledore not this stranger, what was she supposed to say. "You see, my uncle… I'm here because of him."

Internally slapping herself Ginny cursed her lack of quick thinking. The wizard's eyebrows began to furrow and the look on his face was of confusion and distrust. This was mortifying.

"Ah yes," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he looked right into hers. "I've been expecting you Miss…?"

One thing that was certain was that there was always a Weasley in every decade at Hogwarts and right now, it _definitely_ wasn't her. "Fawcett! Ginevra Fawcett." _Idiot, Idiot, Idiot! Why did I use that name?_

 _"_ Yes Miss Fawcett, please follow me we have much to discuss." He turned towards the other wizard with an apologetic glance. "We can finish our discussion later Armando, this was the young witch I was speaking to you about previously."

His eyes widened, all sense of distrust vanished. "Oh! Of course Albus, of course." He turned towards Ginny with a small smile, "Welcome to Hogwarts Miss Fawcett. We'll speak soon." With that said he muttered a password to the gargoyle and made his way to the office.

Ginny didn't think things could get any more confusing. Shouldn't they be going up to Dumbledore's office? How could they be expecting her? Armando? Suddenly the memory of sitting with Ron out in their garden lining up all of his famous witch and wizard cards collected from chocolate frogs came to mind. Armando Dippet, previous Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ron had three of him.

She followed a step behind Dumbledore as they walked through the halls and climbed up the winding staircase to, she was guessing, his office. Not a word was spoken and Ginny was not sure she even wanted to voice her predicament openly in the corridors. This felt like a behind closed doors situation.

They neared a portrait of a moustached gentleman who appeared to be sitting at a desk writing on a large scroll of parchment.

"Acid Pops."

The portrait swung forward revealing the entrance to Dumbledore's office. He lifted his arm, gesturing for her to walk through first. Clambering through Ginny found herself standing in predominantly a smaller and more cramped version of Dumbledore's office during his years as headmaster. Though she had only been in there once previously, no one could ever forget the trinkets set up in the room or the whirring sound of magical artefacts at work.

Dumbledore took a seat behind his desk with Ginny taking a seat in front. With a flourish of his wand he conjured two teacups upon his desk amongst a clutter of what looked to be ancient, yellowing scrolls.

"I find tea can be rather calming in situations such as these. Can I offer you a cup?"

"Yes please," She brought the cup closer to her but could not bring herself to take a sip, still quite keyed up on what had happened but not wanting to seem rude. "To be frank, I'm not certain where to start this conversation sir."

"How about I begin it then," He lent forward in his chair. "You've travelled through time to get here, at this very moment. Correct?"

Ginny's mouth fell open on its own accord. _Truly he is brilliant._ "Well yes, that's exactly what has happened. How did you know?"

His lips twitched into a small smile of mirth. "You could say an acquaintance of mine has kept me informed of your impending arrival. Though I'm sure you can understand that I must tell you that no one else can know the true nature of your arrival here at Hogwarts."

"Of course, but I-"Ginny paused, her head still in a whirl from all of this new information. "Is there not a way for me to go back to my own time?"

"Oh of course."

Ginny let out a sigh of relief. This would just be a strange blip that she could soon forget.

"Though I am not too certain how long it will take before I can find a safe method to send you back." His gaze was apologetic as it was quite obvious that she was eager to return home.

"How long?"

The elderly wizard clasped his hands together, he appeared in deep thought. "I could not give you an exact date. Only one person could answer that question for you but unfortunately they are unreachable at this moment in time."

"But… What am I to do?"

He gave a small smile and looked down at the untouched tea sitting in front of her. "Truly it will do the world of good." He said. She gingerly picked up the cup and took a small sip. "I've informed Headmaster Dippet that an old friend of mine has been asked to participate in an expedition through Australia searching for a particular dragon breed thought to be extinct, leaving behind his pupil." At this he gave Ginny a knowing look.

Ginny stared at him incredulously. "You want me to go to classes and be a student here in…" She trailed off, not even sure what year she was in.

"It's the 1st of September 1944, Miss Fawcett."

No amount of self-control Ginny had could assist in keeping her mouth closed. It had been 1997 just moments ago and now here she was, back in time over 50 years ago. It was near impossible to comprehend that all Ginny could do was sit in silence for a few moments.

Dumbledore watched over the young witch with a sympathetic eye. "Quite a shock I can imagine, but don't fret. As I said we shall soon return you to your own time and you will be quite busy here as a student at Hogwarts."

"Won't I be meddling in time by staying here and being seen?" Even the most basic tomes on time magic that Ginny had glanced at had indicated that this was just a catastrophe waiting to happen.

The professor glanced down at his own teacup sitting on the desk, his face hardening just in the slightest. "As I'm sure you are aware, meddling with time can have rather adverse effects." He nudged his spectacles further up the crook of his nose and peered at Ginny almost curiously. "That is why we will be precautious in all of our actions outside of this chamber, yes?"

Thinking it over Ginny was not confident in her abilities to keep such a secret and continue on with her school work, hadn't she just finished a full year of study?

"Please sir, is there no where I can hide out until the time comes for me to return back to my family?" Even just mentioning them caused Ginny's heart to clench. How long would she be apart from them?

"Miss Fawcett, I can understand your wish for solitude in such distressing times and yet I know from personal experience that loneliness can be crippling."

Ginny flushed and looked down at her feet. She could see that Dumbledore was not going to budge on this particular issue and it had taken quite a lot of nerve just to request hiding out, but staying here, being out of place. It just didn't make sense to her.

Sensing her trepidation Dumbledore spoke softly, "There's a fine line between solitude and isolation Miss Fawcett. I would hate to see this get the better of you."

Knowing she would follow Dumbledore's instructions she gave a slight nod, mostly to herself.

 _I can do this._

Dumbledore took this as a sign of her willingness to stay as a student and gave a slight smile to the witch. "Excellent, just excellent." He rose to his feet and made his way around the desk. "Well, let's be on our way to Headmaster Dippet and get you sorted." Pulling out what looked to be an old pocket watch from his robes he glanced down at the golden instrument. "The students should be arriving any minute now."

Ginny rose from her chair. She hadn't even realised but it became evident now that the tea had produced a calming effect on her. She only noticed it now because that feeling drained from her completely at this moment.

"Sir!" She yelped, following him out of the office. "There's still so much I need to know." Though there certainly were many questions to be asked, it seemed Ginny's mind could hardly keep up. "I mean, my backstory…. Who is this friend of yours? My teacher, or uncle I should say?"

He continued to walk through the halls back the way they came with Ginny at his heel. "Haven't the foggiest, I do need to pay better attention to these things." He seemed to chuckle to himself. Looking down at Ginny his mouth twitched into a slight crooked smile. "I'm sure you can think of some of the more finer details yourself Miss Fawcett."

She could only gape up at the wisest wizard she knew _Just perfect._

They were nearing the stone gargoyle to the headmaster's office when Ginny halted her steps.

"How did you know I was going to be here, at this time I mean?" He turned towards her but did not meet her eye, instead choosing to look at a small piece of lint on the left sleeve of his robe.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you at this time, even if I wanted to."

Ginny could feel the bubbles of that famous Weasley temper rising within her. Knowing she would spit out something irrational she bit down on her tongue, hard.

"Miss Fawcett, you misunderstand." He began to gesture for her to follow him down the corridor. She walked by his side for a few moments waiting for him to continue. "I cannot tell you because I do not know who it was. I knew the information to be correct regardless of the source though."

Ginny was not sure what to think of this mysterious source of information. She still had many questions at the tip of her tongue, like how she got here in the first place, but it seemed that her companion was in a hurry for her to be sorted.

Throughout these musing Dumbledore had given the password and guided her up the stairs and to the Headmaster's office.

For what seemed the millionth time that day Ginny's stomach did a great leap. It had been many years since she had last worn the Sorting Hat and she wasn't too sure what to expect of it.

Dumbledore opened the door which let out an ancient creak as the hinges strained. It seemed that Headmaster Dippet had been expecting them sooner than they had appeared as he was hovering near the entrance.

"Cutting it close aren't you old friend? The students are down at the platform now and beginning to make their way over!" He shook his head good naturedly and turned towards the nervous Ginny. "Now, Miss Fawcett was it?" Before Ginny could reply or even give a nod of acknowledgement, the elderly wizard had already spun around towards the shelf. "I would love to hear about your uncle's expedition in greater detail but I'm afraid we don't have the time just now."

He plucked the Sorting hat from the shelf and turned back to her with a triumphant smile. "Come forward Miss Fawcett and let's get you sorted."

Ginny stepped forward hesitantly. It was all moving a bit too fast for her liking. _I don't think I've ever heard of a student starting Hogwarts that wasn't a first year._ It seemed she would have to work extremely hard to keep her head down and attempt to be unnoticed.

She shot one last glance of concern over to Dumbledore before the hat was unceremoniously plopped onto her head by Headmaster Dippet.

"What a journey you've been on!" The hat's scratchy voice muttered in her ear. "This is an easy sorting indeed, as I'm sure you're aware!"

 _"_ _Please!"_ Ginny thought frantically. " _Don't put me in Gryffindor!"_

Gryffindor would always be Ginny's house yet the thought of being there without her family, without her friends, she knew without a doubt that it just wouldn't feel right.

"Ah, but you're a strong witch, plenty of spirit and bravery in you of that I have no doubt." The hat hummed in thought as Ginny wiped her sweaty palms down the front of her skirt. "You would be well suited to stay, are you sure you want a change?"

Ginny thought back over her fond memories within the Gryffindor tower. Late night's studying on the cushy arm chairs in front of the warm fire, Hermione never failing to come down and lend a hand when she could. Christmases spent at Hogwarts, gathering together with her brothers to exchange gifts. Lazy days spent with Harry. No, she just knew it would be too upsetting, no matter how long she had to stay.

" _I think I need a change."_

The sorting hat hummed again in thought. "Where exactly would please you?"

" _Isn't that your job, to tell me where to go?"_

The hat's booming laugh reverberated through her head. "Oh indeed, I can see certain qualities within you that have been dormant these past years but will definitely assist in your time spent here. I think you shall do well in RAVENCLAW!"

Ginny felt the old hat being pulled from her head and she could once again see the two occupants of the room giving her a small round of applause.

"Congratulations Miss Fawcett." Professor Dumbledore gave her a gentle nod. "Ravenclaw have gained a marvellous asset."

Ginny gave a small smile only thinking of how thankful she was not to have to join the ranks of Slytherin. Only now did she realise that there was a great chance the hat could have chosen such a house for her. Ravenclaw was of course the house of her great friend Luna Lovegood, it couldn't be that bad. Though what the hat meant about her 'dormant qualities' Ginny would have to ponder later.

"Now if you'll follow me I'll lead you down to the Great Hall." Both of the elderly wizards began to make their way through the doorway while Ginny dutifully followed behind them. She could faintly here the echoes of chatter throughout the corridor. Dippet was right; they were cutting it kind of close.

She was a few paces behind them and could not make out the words of their whispered conversation, though judging by the glances coming her way from Headmaster Dippet she had a pretty good guess on what it was regarding.

They neared the corridor adjacent to the Great Hall when both wizards turned to face her.

"Now then I'm not sure what the arrangements are with your uncle Miss Fawcett, I didn't see you with any luggage…"

Dumbledore interrupted swiftly. "You'll find them near your bunk Miss Fawcett along with all the required textbooks. If you'll permit?" He gestured towards her funeral garbs with his wand.

"Oh" Ginny replied dumbly, obviously she couldn't barge into the hall as a student dressed like this. "Yes of course.

With a twist of his wand her robes transformed into the Hogwarts uniform. With a glance down Ginny saw what was once a lion was now an eagle emblazoned with bronze and blue. It brought a slight frown to her lips but there wasn't much she could do now about it.

"I'll have to inform your Head of House Professor Fancourt of her new addition." Dippet nodded to himself. "Your classmates I'm sure will assist in acclimatizing you to Hogwarts. Any questions you have be sure to ask any of your professors here." He began to walk towards an old tapestry on the right hand side. "Welcome To Hogwarts Miss Fawcett." He called over his shoulder.

Once he was out of sight she turned to Dumbledore letting her attempt at a composed mask fall. "Sir! How am I supposed to act? What am I supposed to say-"

He held up his hand and gave her a gentle smile. "Everything will work out as it should. Come and see me whenever you need to. If you choose to study Transfiguration I will see you in class."

Ginny continued to stand still. _Does he honestly think that's going to placate me?_

"Ravenclaw's table is on the far left. Good luck Ginevra." She could have sworn he had winked at her when suddenly he had turned and pulled back the same tapestry Dippet had and walked through.

She walked towards the large open archway to the Great Hall. The noise was thunderous, the students had obviously just taken their seats. She peered inside and saw the rows of her soon to be classmates all chattering away.

Ginny took a deep breath and inched her way forward.

 _It's alright. You can do this._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

She walked towards the Ravenclaw table, head held high and refusing to look anyone in the eye. Even she had to admit, she had thought her entrance would be a bit more of a spectacle, but it seemed that most of the students were too busy catching up with their peers. Ginny looked over all the different witches and wizards and stumbled slightly when they began to notice her presence.

 _Come on Ginny, just a few metres and you'll be at the table._

Her heart was beating like mad though she reasoned to herself that she was over exaggerating the situation. No one knew who she was, yet.

The table was in reach and Ginny went a few paces down so she could sit with some students who looked closer to her age. She found a large enough space where she would not be disturbing anyone's group and sat down, staring down at her hands placed in her lap, cheeks burning.

Obviously someone would have had to have noticed her sitting down, she could almost feel all the eyes upon her. "Who are-"

"Quiet! Quiet please." Ginny glanced up to see Headmaster Dippet standing at the podium. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. Let us bring in our new first year students and begin the sorting."

Ginny turned towards the entrance to watch the group of first year students being ushered through by none other than Dumbledore. She almost let out a chuckle seeing their nervous, small faces darting around trying to take everything in, that is until she remembered where she was and more specifically _when_ she was.

The sorting hat was already at the front of the hall sitting upon an old three-legged stool. Once they were congregated around the stool Dumbledore walked to stand beside it, a scroll held in the one hand.

It was always a laugh seeing first year's reaction to the withered old hat bursting into song and they did not disappoint. It looked as though one boy had toppled over in fright. Ginny discreetly laughed into her fist masking it as a cough.

Throughout the Sorting Hat's rhymes regarding house virtues Ginny peered over at the staff table. She could recognise a young Professor Slughorn, still just as plump. The rest she could not recognise at all. Maybe she would be able to learn something new out of these teachers though she was quite disappointed Professor Flitwick was not around. She'd always loved Charms.

It didn't seem that long until all of the new first years had been sorted and Dippet was once more standing at the podium.

"Now we also have a bit of a special case here at Hogwarts this year."

 _Don't you dare!_

The wizard's eyes scanned the long table before settling on her. "Joining us for her sixth schooling year is Ginevra Fawcett, who has been sorted into Ravenclaw." There was a small pause, but that's all it took for everyone to swivel around in their seats to get a glimpse of the 'new student'.

Once again Ginny could feel her whole face burning. She stared down at her lap letting her auburn hair cover her face from view, mentally cursing the headmaster. _I bet Dumbledore would have had more tact._

"Her previous tutor has left for an expedition in Australia I believe. Looking for dragons, very exciting stuff." She was going to curse him, it was official. "Be the welcoming wizards and witches I know you to be."

Ginny tuned out the rest of his speech, too mortified to lift her face. Suddenly the tables filled with large platters of roast meats, pies and roasted potatoes, signalling the end of his speech and realising just how hungry she was, Ginny began to fill her plate.

Noticing that the chatter had yet to commence around those closest to her she let out a sigh and looked up to her new house mates. Funnily enough most of the people she made eye contact with looked away. She smiled to herself, maybe this would be easier than she though.

"Ginevra was it?" The girl sitting next to Ginny questioned. A small smile graced the girl's lips as Ginny turned towards her.

The nerves were back in full force. Ginny felt like she was back in first year trying to make a good impression, something she knew she was not great at. It didn't help that she had just shoved a huge forkful of beef in her mouth.

She attempted to swallow it down, too quickly it seemed as she could not hold in the loud cough. Raising her hand to her mouth she gave an apologetic smile. "You can call me Ginny."

"I'm Evelyn Hopkins. It's nice to meet you." Ginny looked over the girl. She had long thick brown tresses that went down to her waist. A small smattering of freckles across her nose, not nearly as many as Ginny had. Looking at her encouraging smile she gave the impression of being friendly. Given that her nose didn't turn up in disgust at that little display, Ginny had a good feeling about her.

"I'm a prefect here at Hogwarts so if you'd like I can help you find your way around and answer any questions you may have."

"Thank you Evelyn. I appreciate it." While eating she glanced at the other students sitting around them. Evelyn must have noticed as she took it upon herself to introduce each sixth year to Ginny, though she was hardly paying attention, too absorbed with the food. She gave the necessary smiles and greetings though by the end of her first serving all but Evelyn's name had slipped from her mind.

Ginny couldn't help but notice how subdued the Ravenclaw students were compared to the Gryffindor's. No mini food fights, no errant spells flying around, no competitions of who could eat the most pieces of pie. Surprisingly it was actually just what she needed right now. Peace.

She noticed Evelyn still speaking to her and felt quite guilty, after all she was being very welcoming. Vowing to pay more attention she turned back towards the Ravenclaw prefect. Who knows? Maybe she had some interesting titbits of information about Hogwarts she did not know of yet. Hogwarts must have changed somewhat in fifty years.

Evelyn pointed towards the staff table giving a small explanation of each teacher.

"Oh, and on the end there is Professor Fancourt. She's our head of house and astrology professor. She's absolutely marvellous, you'll love her." The woman in question looked quite old with short grey hair and a magenta pointed hat sitting atop her head.

"At the end of the year one house wins the house cup. I'm sure you already know all four houses well after the hat's song but there's a house cup awarded at the end of each school year based off house points." Ginny nodded along to Evelyn's explanation of the points system, she'd earned her fair few over the past five years. Lost a fair few too.

"Hmm what else do you need to know?" The brunette began to look around.

"Oh and of course there is also the Head Boy and Girl." Evelyn pointed towards the end of their table. Craning her neck Ginny could see a statuesque blonde with the Head Girl pin sitting proudly in place eating a piece of steak and kidney pie. "The Head Girl is one of us Ravenclaws, Josephine Savic." She said proudly. "A whiz in transfiguration and always happy to help a fellow Ravenclaw."

Ginny smiled politely and nodded, attempting to file away all this new information.

"A-and the Head Boy. He's just over there." Ginny watched as the prefect, now sporting a slight blush, surreptitiously pointed towards the table in front of them. Attempting to see the wizard who could elicit this kind of response from Evelyn, Ginny slid along the bench slightly and looked over the heads of the students sitting opposite them. She wasn't certain which one Evelyn was referring to. "His name is Tom Riddle."

Her eyes instantly locked onto the pale teen sitting amongst the Slytherins. His angular features contorted into a face of deliberation. Dark brunette hair neatly parted to the side with the slightest wave. His eyes the colour of the darkest ink imaginable. She was going to be sick.

It wasn't bad enough she was stuck here for Merlin knows how long without her friends and family through no fault of her own. She had to be stuck with the darkest wizard of all time.

Her hands began to tremble as she continued to watch him sit and observe his fellow peers. She could feel the perspiration on the back of her neck as the chatter from the Great Hall turned to white noise. It felt as though her very mind was searching for any traces of his slimy presence within, as if she was once again possessed with no control of her own thoughts or actions.

"Ginny what's happened?" She fumbled slightly and tore her eyes away from Riddle, the trance broken, to see Evelyn looking at her with great concern. "Quick drink some pumpkin juice, you look terrible." She grabbed the large pitcher and hastily poured a cup for her, sloshing some of its contents on the table. "Are you not used to the food?"

Ginny grabbed the cup and took a large gulp, still tingling from shock. "Must not be." She mumbled with a slight nod of her head. She noticed the cup shaking within her hands and quickly put it back down so as not to draw attention.

"Don't worry, the feast looks to be finishing up now and you can get to the tower for a lie down."

 _It won't be my tower,_ she thought miserably as the left over desserts and utensils vanished from the table.

Dippet's voice carried through the hall. "Now off to your dormitories. Prefects please direct the first years."

Ginny shakily rose to her feet, needing to brace herself with both hands on the table. It felt as though her bones had turned to jelly. Evelyn rose from her seat and held her elbow, trying to assist her with standing up.

"I'll take you to the common room with the first years." She glanced back at Ginny. "It may have to be a speedy tour for this batch of firsties."

She let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry about me. Should have never had a bite of that steak and kidney pie." She said feebly.

Evelyn gathered with the other Ravenclaw prefects to begin guiding the new students through the castle. Ginny wanted more than anything to make her way to the tower herself, desperately needing even just a minute to herself, but no luck. She had a part to play.

Evelyn motioned for her to join them and they began to walk down the aisle and towards the exit, the other sixth year prefect walking beside them. Ginny could not remember his name.

"So would you say you're quite knowledgeable on the subject of magical creatures?" He asked towards her. She met his eye thinking how blunt people of the 1940s seemed to be.

Ginny gave a shrug. "As good as any I suppose."

His eyebrows scrunched up in slight confusion. "I only ask because of your previous tutor. Dippet said he's looking for dragons right?"

She felt the blush instantly colouring her cheeks, mentally chastising herself. She hadn't even been here a day and already she was stuffing everything up. "Oh well, yes I suppose. I do know quite a bit about dragons." Thank Merlin for her brother Charlie. She was going to have to work harder to not draw any suspicions.

The boy's eyes lit up but just as he was about to begin his questioning Evelyn cut in. "Oh there's the Head Boy and Girl," she said excitedly, her pace increased, "Come on, I'll go and introduce you."

Instant panic. The feeling could be felt in every cell of her body. "No! It's really not necessary. Please I'm still feeling quite poorly."

"Oh it will only take a second." Ginny looked up to where Evelyn was guiding them. He was much taller than she had imagined, nearly a head above her own height, and he was currently exchanging what looked to be terse whispered words with Josephine, the head girl. When they noticed the small group approaching they shared one last word before looking towards them.

Their eyes met for only a moment, but that was all Ginny could take before she glared down at the ground. _Sick murderer_ she thought, hating that she was in this position. Pretending he wasn't the absolute scum he was to the wizarding world.

"Congratulations again on your new positions." Evelyn greeted as they stood before the new heads.

"I just wanted to introduce you to Ginny here." She said smiling encouragingly at Ginny.

She tried to get a sentence out she really did, even just a smile, but all she could achieve was a grimace as she pointedly stared at only the head girl. She could see the falter in her friendly expression because of Ginny's weird stance.

Evelyn's eyes darted between Ginny's 'I'm going to be sick' face and the others discomfort. "She's feeling a bit under the weather!" She exclaimed. "Must be the new food she's not really used to." A forced nervous laugh escaped her lips. "I'm just going to take her up to the tower."

Josephine gave a slight frown, concern shining from her eyes. "Oh that's too bad, and on your first night here! My name's Jo Savic and this is Tom Riddle, you're really going to love Hogwarts," She paused thoughtfully, "maybe you should take her up to the dormitories Evelyn… she's turning green."

"Will do." Evelyn said as she placed her hand upon Ginny's back, guiding her back to the staircases. They'd only made it a few steps before his silvery voice carried over to the small group.

"It was a pleasure Miss Fawcett."

She could feel her ears turning red. What was that supposed to mean? _That slimy, evli, vile, unpleasant-_

Ginny tripped over her feet and stumbled to keep balance. "Oh sorry Ginny. Just keep following me. Nearly there." Evelyn removed her hand and continued to walk forward.

She didn't know what it was, maybe curiosity or self-loathing, but she turned back to catch a glimpse of Riddle. Ginny instantly regretted that decision. Her eyes locked with his and it was obvious he had been watching her walk away. Unlike any other person he continued to stare at her betraying no emotion upon his face. Riddle continued to talk with the head girl but his eyes did not waver.

It felt as though she had just apparated, dizziness clouding her mind. Finally she was able to break eye contact and turn her back from him, but this did not assist with her current state of mind.

How could the darkest wizard of all time be able to prance around the school with not one person realising how dangerous he was. Hastily she corrected herself, Dumbledore always knew. It made her feel queasy. Try as she might she could not dispel her thoughts from drifting back to her first year with the diary. Her very first friend. Revulsion grew within her.

Looking at him before even she had to admit he did not seem as evil as she knew him to be. When he had stared into her eyes she could not deny the raw power she saw within, they were not the red irises she had been told by Harry. School boy or not it was fact that by now in his seventh year, he had committed murder. A shudder rippled down her spine.

"Do you have a fever now too? Maybe we should take you to the Hospital Wing instead." Evelyn's worried voice cut into her musings.

"I just need a lie down."

The group made their way up the stairs, through a corridor or two and to the Ravenclaw tower, the new batch of first years trailing behind them, staring up in wonder at all the portraits on the wall and the staircases with a mind of their own.

Ginny of course had already been to the tower many times when she had been dating Michael Corner. She acted surprised and interested at all the correct times during Evelyn's tour, though it was difficult considering how drained she felt. After what felt like an eternity later for Ginny they had made it to the dormitories.

There were six beds in total set up in the room with blue draping and bedding. It seemed her dorm mates were still down in the common room as no bed was occupied.

"Oh it looks quite strange with an extra bed in here!" Evelyn exclaimed. "That one over there must be yours," She pointed to the left-hand side. "You're next to me."

A plain-looking brown trunk sat at the end of her bed. This must be what Dumbledore had been talking about earlier. "It looks cosy." She murmured, walking towards her new trunk and unlatching the lid. It was all neatly packed together her new robes and school supplies.

"I might just pop down to the common room and see everyone. Make sure you get some rest."

"Wait! Evelyn?" The brunette spun around, giving an encouraging smile when Ginny's words faltered. With a sigh Ginny plopped down on the bed. "Just thanks, you know?" There was an awkward pause. "For being so helpful I mean."

Evelyn laughed and walked towards her bed, sitting down and facing Ginny. "Anytime, it's refreshing having someone new in the year." She stretched over to the other side of the bed and came back holding up what looked to be a bar of chocolate. "I left it here just before leaving earlier this year, did you want some?"

The grin on Ginny's face answered the question. Both girls let out a simultaneous laugh. Evelyn snapped off a large chunk before passing it over and began nibbling on the left overs.

"Chocoholic huh?"

"I don't trust anyone who doesn't love chocolate." Ginny revelled in the creamy richness that was Honeydukes chocolate. The tenseness in her shoulders caused by the Riddle run in dispersed and she began to feel more like herself. It also helped that she was not in a crowded room with hundreds of people staring at her.

Evelyn let out a small giggle. "Glad I'm not the only one." Ginny glanced up at Evelyn and saw that her eyebrows were scrunched up just the slightest as she looked at her depleted chocolate supply.

"What is it?"

Before Evelyn could question Ginny gave her a pointed look. "Come on, out with it."

"Did the food really make you sick?" Ginny averted her eyes from Evelyn's curious look. "I don't mean it in a rude 'you're lying' way." A long sigh left her lips. "Sorry I'm not good at this. What I mean is. You must have been nervous."

Ginny wasn't sure what she was supposed to say. She did not want to screw up her back story once again in just one evening but she was also very grateful for Evelyn's kindness. Not many people from back in her time would be as gracious as she was to her.

Evelyn rose up her hands, palms open. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Forget I said anything."

"No, no it's fine." Ginny looked up through her eyelashes sheepishly. "You're right, I was incredibly nervous."

Evelyn's laugh surprised her. "I'm just glad," she said, "Who doesn't love the food here?"

Ginny let out a laugh. "It was delicious. It was just daunting feeling hundreds of eyes staring down at you."

"Oh I can imagine." Evelyn said consolingly. "Everyone loves a bit of gossip here, but I wouldn't worry too much." Ginny gave her a questioning look. "Something more exciting and dramatic is bound to happen in the first week and everyone will leave you be."

 _Somethings never change._ Ginny smiled and polished off the last of her chocolate. "I hope so. Thanks for sharing."

"Anytime." Evelyn pushed back her long hair and hopped off the bed. "I'm going to have a shower and go to bed, I'm not really friends with anyone down in the common room truth be told. Do you mind, or would you like a moment to yourself?"

"No that's fine."

"Alright, I'll wake you up tomorrow and show you how to get back to the Great Hall. This castle can get confusing."

It was hard to hold back the smirk from her face but Ginny managed. "I'm sure I'll manage."

Once Evelyn left Ginny got ready for bed and drew the curtains. At least the beds in Ravenclaw were the same as Gryffindor's. When Ginny laid her head on the fluffy pillow she could just pretend she was back in her proper dorm in her own time.

Her mind went over every single detail of what had happened that day. The funeral, the break up… the time travel. She still had no clue how this had all happened. She blindly reached under her pillow to unearth the small stone Luna had given her before she'd left. Its warmth spread through her fingers as she clasped it in her hand. In all the commotion of arriving here and running to find Dumbledore she had forgotten all about the strange circumstances behind it now being in her possession, but now in the confines of her bed, she pondered what this gem was capable of. Definitely something to report back to Dumbledore.

Not much time had passed before Ginny's eyelids began to flutter and her mind drifted off, her hand still clutching the stone. Her brows still crinkled from the worry of what tomorrow would bring and how much trouble living in the same castle as a certain dark wizard could cause.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"No Mr Bletchley. As I said it's more of a circular motion!"

The charms classroom was filled to the brim with both Ravenclaw and Slytherin sixth years waving their wands about, shooting out multiple colourful sparks. The charms professor was running madly from student to student, frantically repairing the damage caused by some of the students more powerful attempts at nonverbal spells.

Ginny turned to Evelyn amusedly arching one brow, wand in hand.

"Yes, it is always like this." She said in return, an impish grin on her face.

The redheaded witch laughed freely before attempting the charm herself.

It had been approximately three days since she had made her apparent journey back in time and Ginny had managed the best she could. Thankfully it had been quite a mad few days with all of the classes and workload required for her NEWT levels. It gave her less time to think of just exactly where she was, though she did have her moments.

Just on their way here to Charms she'd walked past the corridor where the twins had set off their portable swamp. She still wasn't sure Evelyn had believed her when she'd said there was something in her eye.

Evelyn had been a welcoming surprise for Ginny these past few days. You'd think it frustrating having someone telling you things you already knew about a castle you'd lived in for five years of your life, but if anything it made Ginny feel supported. Thinking back to her first years at Hogwarts she didn't have this kind of help, and strictly speaking if she had it would have been a very different first year.

The only issue was Evelyn's curiosity of Ginny's 'past'. "What textbooks did you use?" "Were the subjects taught differently?" "Do you think you got a balanced education?" "Would you say Hogwarts provides a good variety or is too biased on certain matters?" These questions had become a daily occurrence during meals in the Great Hall.

' _Damn inquisitive Ravenclaws.'_ Ginny had thought that morning during the latest barrage of questions. Strangely enough most of the other students had kept their distance. She was definitely an oddity in the halls. She could always see people _subtly_ watching her yet no one ever approached. She'd asked Evelyn in the common room her second night what it was all about and why only she was talking to her.

Evelyn had blushed before replying. "Well I think Ravenclaws keep to themselves more than most. People are curious but I suppose they are just trying to figure you out from a distance first." She gave Ginny a reassuring smile before continuing. "Don't take it personally. Everyone's quite cautious these days with Grindelwald out and about and what happened here a couple of years ago."

Ginny had attempted to push the subject, though not really knowing herself if she had wanted the information, but Evelyn had made a flimsy excuse that she was busy with an essay and would talk about it later. Obviously not a story she wanted to share. That night Ginny shook it off though. What could be worse than everything happening in her time?

With a flick of her wand Ginny had been able to produce some crimson sparks with no incantation. Grinning she looked over to Evelyn only to see her wand producing multiple coloured sparks. Just another thing Ginny was getting used to being in the house of blue and bronze.

It seemed that they would be left to their own devices for quite a while as their professor was currently scolding a stout-looking Slytherin boy for practicing a little too closely to a fellow student. Poor girl was now sporting a rather short hairstyle.

"So," Ginny muttered from the corner of her mouth. "Are you going to tell me what happened here to make everyone act like I'm some kind of pariah?" Ginny was never one to mince her words.

The prefect placed her wand down on the table. "Here I was thinking you'd forgotten about that." She whispered. "It's not important, really."

"Come on Evelyn, I want to know."

She let out a long sigh before lowering her head closer to Ginny, so as not to be overheard. "A student was killed here."

Ginny's eyes bugged out of their sockets. A death at Hogwarts? That was insane. She was about to question Evelyn further when it clicked and she felt incredibly stupid. The Chamber of Secrets had been opened.

Evelyn noticed Ginny's adverse reaction and was quick to reassure her that there was no longer a threat and it was silly of her to worry but Ginny found it hard to listen. It was still difficult for her to think about that time of her life and she'd done a good enough job keeping it behind her since it had happened. Here in the 1940s though it seemed she could not escape it.

Since that first night she arrived there had been no more surprise encounters with the soon-to-be Voldemort. Though she did not see him, it could not be said she did not think of him. His presence at the school could be felt and heard each day she walked through the castle. Each time there was even a mutter regarding the head boy Ginny tensed up, chalking it up to nerves when Evelyn noticed.

She'd apparently also made a habit of tuning out each time she thought about it. Giving a slight shake of her head she turned back to focus on Evelyn.

"It was one of the reasons he became Head boy too I think. Of course he would have gotten it anyway. He's incredibly clever and charming. Shame he wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw. You should have seen the magic he performed last year in the Great Hall Ginny-"

Ginny held back the groan. It was just impossible to escape him. From the few times Evelyn had spoken about him Ginny had gathered he was rather well regarded here at Hogwarts, something she was aware of but never knew it was to this extent. It drove her batty that even Evelyn had been hoodwinked by him.

"The way you're carrying on you'd think he's the next Merlin or something." She muttered darkly.

Evelyn snapped her mouth closed and looked down embarrassingly. "I-I just can appreciate his talent is all."

"Sorry, didn't mean anything by it." Ginny felt fidgety after apologising. Knowing something and desperately wanting to tell someone but not was not something she was well accustomed to. It didn't help that she genuinely liked the girl sitting beside her. She couldn't fight down that compelling need to warn her.

A loud bang from the front of the class caught the attention of both witches. The same wizard who had singed off half of the poor girl's hair had now somehow managed to fire sparks right into the chalk board creating a rather large hole. The poor professor was beside herself while the boy guffawed with his fellow Slytherins.

Ginny was scowling but had successfully found another angle. "Riddle is a Slytherin isn't he?"

"Believe me, he's nothing like that lot."

"But still. A Slytherin is a Slytherin and I've heard plenty about them."

"Don't be so tunnel visioned Ginny." Evelyn scoffed before picking up her wand and continuing to practice.

She could tell that the prefect was not enjoying this subject but Ginny couldn't let it go. How could they all like him so much?

"He just seems a bit odd to me."

Evelyn laughed. "And you got that out of meeting him once?"

Ginny flushed before continuing. "Just got a feeling I suppose."

"Well you shouldn't base your opinion on something like that." She said matter-of-factly. "Merlin, he already deals with enough from his own house!"

"What do you mean by that?"

Evelyn hesitantly glanced to the left where a pair of Slytherin students were sitting, but they looked too enraptured in their own conversation to bother listening in.

"I don't know much about it at all to be honest. It's just quite obvious he doesn't hang around with them a lot. Once I saw…" She trailed off. "He's just different from them and a few idiots like pointing it out."

"What did you-"

"Eyes forward everyone, maybe we should read up on the theory a bit more as some of you aren't grasping it." The professor had now repaired her splintered chalk board and was tapping the board with her wand. To her credit she only looked slightly frazzled now.

Evelyn looked pleased to be out of the situation as she sat up slightly straighter in her chair and whipped out a few quills for note taking.

Throughout class Ginny attempted to take notes but had trouble concentrating. She still had not spoken to Dumbledore since that first night and desperately wanted to.

Speaking to Evelyn had reminded her of all the things that were about to come for the wizarding world and here she was, right at the beginning. If this had ever happened to someone before, how could they bear it? Knowing everything and doing nothing to better it.

Ginny spent the rest of the class pondering the limitations of time travel.

 **-V-**

After class the two girls found themselves at the library sitting in a small alcove near a window, books spread out over the table they were sharing. Ginny wasn't particularly inclined to be there but Evelyn had proven herself to be quite the attentive student and it wasn't like Ginny had any other place to be.

"You're not taking Divination are you?"

"Merlin no. What a load of hogwash!"

Evelyn groaned, "I know, my parents are making me take it. Have a read of this" She passed the book she had been reading to Ginny shaking her head.

Ginny skimmed the first line, chuckling aloud. " _Learn to open your mind by clearing it first!_ What does that even mean?"

"Don't think the author even knows to be quite honest." Evelyn took the book back and scoffed.

"I'll try and drop it next year."

Smirking Ginny took out a fresh sheet of parchment to begin writing down the dangers of running into inferi.

Their quiet however was interrupted when a few older students entered the library and began walking up the aisles. Obviously not understanding that the library was a place of peace and quiet, or simply not caring, they began regaling each other with stories of what they got up to during the holidays.

"-and then she was asked to leave! The nerve of that sorry excuse for a witch. I tell you my mother always said she was a quack of an author."

Evelyn and Ginny shared a look of annoyance, both hoping the group would not decide to enter their small alcove. Luckily they seemed to enter the next row.

"Oh look who it is Black!" The same obnoxious voice from before crowed. "Why it's our Head Boy Riddle!"

Evelyn glanced up at Ginny, her eyes slightly clouded with pity. ' _This is what I was telling you about_ ,' she mouthed, jerking her thumb behind them.

Ginny's brows knitted together in confusion as she strained to hear what was taking place in the other aisle.

"Now Riddle, that's such a common name isn't it?" The boy said this comment with mockery lacing every word. "You know, I don't think there's one Slytherin in this whole castle who isn't embarrassed by the disgrace you've brought upon our house."

Ginny looked towards Evelyn in complete shock. Did this idiot know who he was taunting? The other Ravenclaw just nodded sadly and turned back to her book, attempting to tune out the other conversation.

Ginny could hear slight shuffles and barely overheard another student mutter. "Come on Wes. Let's just go."

"No no! I think Riddle here needs to be reminded from time to time that he's not one of us." He replied in a booming voice. If everyone else in the library was not aware of this little confrontation they definitely did now. This idiot was just begging to be hexed, and by Tom Riddle no less!

"Dirty blood tainting our noble-"

"That'll be 10 points from Slytherin and a detention next weekend Mr Rosier." His fluid voice was not laced with anger Ginny noticed, yet it was incredibly commanding. Looking down she noticed goose bumps forming on the flesh of her arm.

"Oooh you got me now Riddle," He taunted, not knowing when to quit. Ginny realised none of the other members of the group had said a word.

The screeching of a chair being pushed against the floor startled both Evelyn and Ginny as the former promptly dropped her book in shock.

"15 points then and you would do well to remember just who it is you're speaking to." He did not raise his voice and yet the mere power behind his words could have made anyone speechless.

Evelyn forwent any act of reading and instead leaned closer to the book shelf separating them from the others. There was only silence at the other end and for a good minute too.

Footsteps began to shuffle away from the aisle and both girls scrambled to grab books and mask their eavesdropping. From the corner of her eye Ginny spied the group exiting the library in a slight rush.

Ginny wasn't sure what to make of what had happened. She once more tried to start her assignment but could not forget the fact that a mere few metres away a certain dark wizard was sat and her concentration was shot.

Thankfully it only took a few moments before the sound of someone packing up their supplies could be heard.

Glancing out from between the bookshelves Ginny watched as Riddle slung his bag over his shoulder as he left the library. It was only a flash but she had seen how his sharp jaw had been clenched in consternation, wand still in hand.

"I told you." Was all Evelyn said, her eyes not leaving the book in front of her.

It seemed that finishing her Defence against the Dark Arts homework was going to take longer than Ginny had originally thought.

 **-V-**

"Oh shoot, I have to give my prefect reports to Jo!" Evelyn slapped her hand to her head after leaving their last class of the day. "I was supposed to give it to her an hour ago!"

She'd already began jogging ahead of Ginny. "I'll meet you in the common room!" She called over her shoulder.

Shrugging her shoulders Ginny continued walking towards the common room when suddenly she could hear the echoes of students further down the corridor. It didn't sound good.

Hurrying her step Ginny approached the noises as quietly as she could. Once closer to a passageway on the left the voices became clearer.

"I think we'll teach you a lesson on how to respect your superiors." A male voice sneered before a loud cry was heard.

Approaching Ginny could see a group of three tall Slytherins boxing in a little kid, one with a wand raised. Peering closer she could see the smaller student was a Gryffindor with tears in her eyes and small hands covering her now swelling face. It looked to be the work of a mild stinging jinx.

"You going to apologise for that one?"

The boy turned to face her revealing the squashed up features of a Slytherin who looked no younger than herself. It made her blood boil.

"Who do you think you are?" He smirked looking her up and down. "Do you even _know_ what spell that was? I heard you were taught nothing before you got here."

"I was taught enough." She said darkly, glaring at him as he sauntered closer. "Picking on the younger students? Bit pathetic don't you think."

He visibly bristled, fingering his wand. "She needed to know her place and now she does. Maybe it's your turn to learn your place."

Before he could even raise his wand Ginny had hers whipped out and aimed straight at his nose. Reciting the incantation perfectly the boy was taken by complete surprise by her signature bat-bogey hex.

Ginny felt only a moment of satisfaction watching the green bats claw their way from his nostrils while he could only watch in horror before both Slughorn and Professor Trimble, the herbology teacher strode around the corner.

"Miss Fawcett, we never perform hexes on our fellow students. There are rules here that must be followed." Professor Trimble crossly said. "10 points from Ravenclaw house and I'll see you at 7:00pm tomorrow night for your detention. Greenhouse 3."

Fuming she looked over to the Slytherin who looked to be gloating to his group of friends already, bogey's flown away. The younger Gryffindor student must have already scuttled away as there was no sight of her.

Muttering to herself about the unfairness of it all, Ginny stomped her way to the dormitories, hoping Evelyn was there already as she had some complaining to do, but not before noticing Slughorn smiling her way.

 _Bloody Brilliant._

 **-V-**

 **A/N:** Hello my readers! Thanks for showing an interest in my little fic. It's my first foray into the Harry Potter fanfiction world so please show it some love.

I just can't believe how little an amount of Ginny/Tom fics there are out there! I mean there's such interesting history from Ginny's back story that can be played with there. That's what I'm hoping to achieve with this one.

Please leave a review with your thoughts on this chapter, I'd appreciate it. THANK YOU!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It was when dinner was just about finishing up that Ginny found herself bidding goodbye to Evelyn and making her way to the greenhouses. She had spent a good portion of the day protesting about the unfairness of it all to her new Ravenclaw friend Evelyn. It provided her with no relief however as Evelyn seemed aghast at Ginny's explanation that night in the dormitories.

"You hexed him!?" She had exclaimed, uneaten chocolate frog squirming in her hand. "Why didn't you just find a teacher or prefect?"

Shaking her head at the memory Ginny exited the castle and followed the torchlight down the pathway. At least she had someone attempting to keep her in line during this time, Hermione would be glad.

She had made it to the greenhouses and saw Professor Trimble leaning against the glass panes waiting for her. In her hand was a large canvas sack looking quite full and a pair of thick gloves.

"Now Miss Fawcett," She began, "Tonight you'll be assisting me in rehoming a few of our nocturnal plants."

"Can't wait." Ginny mumbled under her breath following the professor through the greenhouse.

The detention itself was rather monotonous but it was a lot better than the few others Ginny had served. Nothing was as bad as scrubbing old cauldrons.

Professor Trimble worked beside her, repotting some of the more active plants and giving small explanations to Ginny of each of the plants they were working with. It seemed she couldn't stop herself. Ginny thought she was no Professor Sprout but her passion was infectious. If anything it also made the time go by slightly faster and before she knew it they had finished.

"I think that's quite enough for one night, don't you think Miss Fawcett."

Ginny gave a quick nod and began pulling off her gloves. "Definitely Professor." She grinned.

"Yes…well, don't let me catch you hexing any students again."

They began to make their way up to the castle, Trimble discussing the different plants the sixth years would be working with for tomorrow's class. Feeling slightly guilty for slandering the professor to Evelyn for the better half of the day, Ginny engaged with her giving small comments here and there. This professor didn't seem so bad after all.

Only after walking through the entrance and seeing the empty castle did the professor realise just how late it was.

"Goodness me Miss Fawcett. I was under the impression we'd only been out there for an hour!" She exclaimed. "It's past curfew, I'll have to take you to your dormitory."

"Oh it's not a problem Professor Trimble, I'll just explain what happened if anyone catches me."

Trimble looked a little wary. "I would feel better knowing you got to your dormitories safely-"

"I'll be fine Professor. Honest." Said the redhead attempting her most charming smile, usually only brought out when she attempted to evade chores at the burrow.

Trimble began to nod her head when something over Ginny's shoulder caught her attention.

"Oh Mr Riddle!"

Ginny heard the quiet tap of his footsteps against the stone as he made his way over to them, her shoulders tense.

"Good Evening Professor Trimble." His voice was like honey, sickly sweet, making Ginny wince. "Miss Fawcett." He was standing by them now, his full attention on the teacher.

Ginny peered at him from the corner of her eye. His school robes pressed immaculately, it seemed not even a hair was out of place. It was the small smile upon his face that was unsettling her the most. That minuscule upturn of his lips did not hold any sincerity. It was just an act.

Her lips curled as she noticed Trimble's reaction to the Head Boy. Looking slightly breathless the professor's large smile did nothing to mask her obvious fondness for him.

"Mr Riddle, how fortunate that we've bumped into you this evening." She raised her hand toward Ginny standing beside her. "Miss Fawcett and I lost track of the time while we were out at the greenhouses and I don't feel particularly comfortable leaving her unaccompanied as she makes her way to the Ravenclaw tower."

Before Riddle could respond Ginny blurted out. "It's not necessary Professor, like I was saying-"

"I'd be happy to escort Miss Fawcett to the tower." Riddle interjected smoothly, turning to face Ginny and giving, what on anyone else's face would have been, a charming smile.

Beaming Professor Trimble clasped her hands in front of her. "Oh thank you very much Mr Riddle, Headmaster Dippet certainly made the right choice for Head Boy this year."

He appeared bashful, glancing down at his feet before replying. "Thank you very much Professor, I will diligently try to live up to the great reputation Hogwarts holds."

Ginny felt the bile building up in the back of her throat. _What a phony._

She interjected, desperately not wanting to be left alone with him. "Please!" They both snapped their heads toward her looking alarmed at her outburst. "I'll rush to the tower myself, I don't wish to inconvenience anyway."

"Miss Fawcett, you've been here but a week! The castle is quite large even I find myself getting lost from time to time!" Professor Trimble gasped. Ginny's opinion on the herbology professor began to sour.

"Please I insist." Riddle once again turned to smile at Ginny. "I'm heading up there now for my nightly rounds. It's certainly no inconvenience to me."

Still beaming Professor Trimble thanked him thoroughly before bidding them both good night and scurrying away. Not without flashing one more smile at the head boy.

They stood for a moment in silence. Ginny was mostly in shock thinking this was the last position she thought she'd be in this evening let alone her entire time here in the past.

Riddle, either ignoring her apparent discomfort or oblivious to it, had already began walking up the enchanted stairs and had paused on the first step to stare at her. He raised one eyebrow quizzically but stayed silent.

Bunching her hands into fists hidden within her robes, Ginny stepped forward to follow him all the way to the tower. She attempted to stay a few steps behind him just to maintain some distance and negate any of his endeavours to speak with her, knowing she would not react in the way a normal student would. It seemed though that Riddle was insistent on walking side by side as he slowed his pace.

Clenching her teeth at the now fourth time Riddle had slowed his pace to match her near snail-like one, Ginny realised at this rate she would be back at the common room in an hour. She told herself that he would not attempt anything dark while within the castle walls. Like a mantra she repeated _He can't hurt you here, he can't hurt you here_ , and began walking at a normal pace beside him.

He had not attempted anything after the second corridor they walked down and Ginny felt calmer and more in control of her reactions. It was slightly eerie walking through the castle at night with only the light taps from their footsteps to be heard and quite suddenly the need to fill that void was all Ginny could think of.

"I'm fine you know," Ginny squeaked, instantly feeling the heat rising to her neck, "The professor's not here and I can manage on my own."

It seemed he was ignoring her as he did not say a word nor even glance in her direction once the words had left her lips. She tried to quell the anger at his ignoring but could not help but feel it throbbing through her veins. It was quite a sore spot for her, being underestimated. If anything she should be relieved he was not speaking to her, at least that's what she told herself when they began the trek up the staircase.

Glancing over at him she realised he did not look quite the same as he had when he had approached both herself and Trimble. The more she looked the easier it was to notice just what the difference was. That smile was gone, in fact his whole demeanour had changed. He did not exude his previous charming and perfect student pseudo act he had before, the act that everyone else seemed to fall for. Instead he seemed tired yet guarded. He must not try especially hard for those he assumes are unthreatening.

Ginny bristled at the thought of seeming unthreatening but once again tried to calm herself down. She studied his closed off face more but realised then that this also was just an act. The world would know the real Tom Riddle soon.

He turned and caught her watching him and like before, after the welcoming feast, their eyes locked and she struggled to pull away. She couldn't help the nerves coursing through her body. What was he going to do?

Suddenly that small fake smile returned to his face and he faced forward once more. "You don't need to worry about inconveniencing me. As I said it's on my way."

Thankful to be freed from his gaze she pondered what to say. Maybe she should wait just as he had. If his intent was to put her even more on edge he had succeeded, but no. He just thought she was a lowly new student. He probably hadn't given any thought to her embarrassing introduction after the feast.

What would Harry do? It sprung to her mind suddenly. Here she was next to the darkest wizard of all time who'd made everybody's lives miserable and she was just walking in silence letting him get away with everything.

Feeling that Gryffindor courage spark within her she felt determined to win back a bit of dignity. This was for her eleven year old self.

Unfortunately it was at that moment she overestimated her step up the stairs and felt herself stumble. She saw, almost in slow motion, Riddle reaching out for her arm to steady her, as if on instinct. When his hand grazed the edge of her sleeve she jerked to the side to avoid contact, cradling her arm to get away from him in the small space.

"I can look after myself!" It burst out before she could even attempt to rein it in, angry and sharp.

He jerked his hand back to his side, face taken aback. It was the most genuine reaction she had seen from him yet. Surprise lit in his eyes. He said nothing, just continued to walk beside her. They were close now.

"So head boy? That's quite an _illustrious_ position." Still reeling she could not help the snarky tone behind the comment.

"Yes," He replied quietly. "It is an honour."

She could barely hold in the scoff but it seemed she needn't have bothered. Riddle was smirking at her attempt at discretion.

"Am I catching a hint of animosity from you?" There was humour laced within his words but Ginny could hear the underlying sharpness. His smirk was broader now.

Ginny balked, immediately regretting her words. What was she doing? Attempting to antagonise him? She quickly masked her features to portray indifference before replying.

"Not at all. I don't know the first thing about you."

"My mistake." The same smirk still present on his face but he kept his head down for the rest of the walk to the common room.

When they were in the vicinity of the common room entrance Ginny rushed forward and gave a quick nod of her head, thankful she had made it through.

She'd made it a few metres ahead when he called. "Have a good night Miss Fawcett."

If she didn't know any better she would have sworn he was chuckling to himself. Scowling she stomped forward and went up to her dormitories.

Thankfully most of the girls were already in bed. Ginny greeted Evelyn before unceremoniously flopping onto her bed and groaning into her pillow.

"I won't ask how detention went then." Evelyn laughed while Ginny just shook her head with her face still firmly hidden.

Thankfully Evelyn stayed true to her word and left her be, choosing instead to finish reading comfortably in bed. Ginny decided she definitely needed an early night after what she had just been through and pulled shut the curtains surrounding her bed.

Her head was still in a spin thinking about her late night walk through the castle. She was torn, half of her was beyond terrified that what she had said may cause ramifications. She of course was supposed to be staying under the radar, trying to stay unnoticed. The other half of her was tingling with pride. Even if it was in the smallest way possible, she had stood up for herself against the very definition of evil. She let him know that she didn't believe his phony act one bit. She was no longer that shy meek girl he could take advantage of like in first year.

One thing both halves agreed on though was that thankfully she should have no reason to be alone with him ever again.

 **-V-**

Ginny pulled her thick dragon-hide gloves up to her elbows as she moved around the greenhouse before picking up a pot of hemlock for both herself and Evelyn to prune. She tactfully avoided the Venomous Tentacula sitting on the shelf beside the pots and returned to their work station.

They got to work, attempting to ignore the two Gryffindors sitting opposite them who were laughing at one of their fellow house mates who'd stepped a bit too close to the deadly plants.

"Boys." Ginny muttered before releasing an overly dramatic sigh causing Evelyn to chuckle and shrug her shoulders.

"Miss Fawcett," Professor Trimble had come to stand at the side of their station. "I hope yourself and Mr Riddle didn't run into any trouble."

Ginny saw from the corner of her eye Evelyn peer at her questioningly. "We made it just fine thanks Professor." She managed to say, noticing they also had the attention of the two Gryffindors.

"He's a fine wizard. I knew I left you in good hands." With that said she turned to assist some other students.

"What exactly have you been hiding from me Ginny?" Evelyn said accusingly, putting down her tools to face the now flushing witch.

"Ugh I begged her to let me go back to the dormitories by myself, but she insisted I be escorted." She groaned. "And… well …. Riddle happened to be there."

"Ooh la la," Evelyn laughed avoiding the manure Ginny playfully threw her way. "Still think he's _a bit odd?_ No wonder you were in a right state when you got back to the dorms"

Just slightly red in the face Ginny replied. "Still don't know what the big fuss is about. He's such a fake." Gaining traction now she continued. "You should have seen the way he was sucking up to Professor Trimble!"

Evelyn frowned while focusing on the plant they were supposed to be working with. "Surely not, I think he was just being courteous." Ginny pulled a face. "It's a good thing to show respect to your teachers Ginny." She said playfully.

"There's a difference between courtesy and arse kissing!"

Evelyn let out a gasp. "I can't believe you just said that." She muttered looking scandalised and glancing around to see if anyone had heard her.

' _Right, 1940s'_ Ginny scolded herself.

"I agree with her you know Evie." Ginny looked up, feeling embarrassed that someone had heard her. The Gryffindor boy on the opposite end of their station had spoken. "He's got such a big head."

Ginny couldn't hold back the slightly hysterical laugh that escaped her lips at the notion of someone calling Voldemort big-headed. Evelyn scowled her way but said nothing, instead choosing to begin pruning their abandoned plant.

The Gryffindor boy grinned in amusement. "Refreshing to know a witch around here who's not completely enamoured by him. I'm Ethan Harris."

"Ginevra Fawcett, but you can call me Ginny."

He had much longer hair than most of the boys from this time Ginny mused. His blonde locks fell to his chin and she thought him rather cute. She returned his smile before assisting Evelyn with their work.

Once class was over she was surprised when Ethan walked with them back to the castle chatting with them both amiably. He was on the Gryffindor quidditch team and loved to talk game. Ginny hadn't realised how much she had missed it and enthusiastically joined in the conversation. Evelyn didn't show as much enthusiasm for the sport but interjected with comments here and there.

Ginny couldn't help but smile. It was nice having more than one person to talk to. Even if she did have to watch what she said from time to time.

He was certainly a Gryffindor through and through. She could tell when he began telling them about what some of his friends got up to in classes reminding her of her brothers. It made Ginny feel home sick.

They'd made it up to the castle and were heading to the Great Hall for some lunch, Ethan midway through explaining why he thought beater was best position, when Riddle entered from the opposite end of the corridor.

Bothe Evelyn and Ethan hadn't noticed and Ginny hated herself for being the only one. Just as he was walking past he looked up at her. That same smirk from last night plastered on his face.

"Miss Fawcett." He did not say it loudly, and she swore she could hear the derision beneath his greeting, yet it caused Evelyn to trail off midsentence and slow down her step.

Ginny scowled and powerwalked ahead. Just what was he playing at? Last night was supposed to be it. No more! Was he trying to make fun of her?

She had just made it through the doors when she could hear Ethan's irritated voice "What was all that about?"

 **-V-**

 **A/N:** Chapter 5! Can't wait to get to the juicy parts. Hope you're all enjoying so far. I can't help but think maybe it's a bit too much Tom, Anyone else feeling that? Trying for natural but let's be honest, all the best bits have Tom in them and I'm just too eager for all of his parts!

Please leave a review with your thoughts on this chapter, I'd appreciate it. THANK YOU!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It was at breakfast a couple of days later that Ginny received her first piece of mail in 1944. She was in the middle of nibbling on a crispy strip of bacon when the large tawny owl swooped by to deliver her a small scroll.

Ginny already had her suspicions of who it could be from though her hands trembled slightly as she unfurled the parchment. It was not an odd sight for students to receive mail and as far as they knew the 'new' student was no different.

 _Let's discuss your progress after class this afternoon. Transfiguration is certainly a fascinating subject isn't it?_

 _-Professor Dumbledore_

She glanced toward the head table but Dumbledore was in deep discussion with the headmaster. She turned back to her breakfast eating in silence. Evelyn had decided to skip breakfast and instead study for her next class so Ginny had to go at it alone.

Since Evelyn had found out about her after-detention walk with Tom Riddle she had been giving her knowing smiles. It frustrated her to no end that she was so close to just exploding and telling Evelyn exactly why it was she disliked him so much.

Ginny bounced up after finishing her breakfast. She couldn't squash down that feeling of hope. Just maybe she would be arriving home soon. She had had enough of feeling on edge every hour of every day, even if it had only been a week or so. The only thing that worried her now was saying goodbye to Evelyn. Despite her misplaced fondness for Tom Riddle she was a good person and Ginny would miss her.

It seemed that classes would progress very slowly for Ginny today as she was already counting down the minutes until her meeting with Dumbledore.

 **-V-**

Finally the time had come, it had been difficult to concentrate all day and Ginny was nearly buzzing with anticipation.

"Miss Fawcett." Dumbledore said when she approached him after class. "Let us speak in my office." His office was only around the corner and it took no time at all before they were seated just as they had been that first evening she had arrived, hot tea sitting in front of them both.

"I trust you've been doing well since your arrival." He spoke softly after a moment of silence.

"Yes I've been … well." She wasn't sure if that was the right word to describe how she was doing.

"I've heard from most professors that you seem to be progressing well. Good news." He nodded to himself. "I've noticed you've taken to the company of Evelyn Hopkins. Very intelligent girl, I hope she's assisting in your… transition here."

Ginny nodded reverently. "Very helpful."

"I've asked you to meet this afternoon to see if you've settled."

Ginny couldn't hide the disappointment on her face. "So no news on when I can return back home?"

He apologetically shook his head. "I'm afraid not Miss Fawcett. It seems it will be quite a tricky task." He opened his mouth as if to say more but chose not to.

"I don't know if I'm doing this correctly." Ginny blurted out feeling embarrassed. "I just mean…" She trailed off, not entirely sure how to word her thoughts. "I know the future… I mean… how can I not…. do something… with the things that I know." Ginny blushed at her incoherency.

"You have a terrible burden on your shoulders Miss Fawcett. One I would not wish upon anyone. You have a responsibility."

Knowing where this was going Ginny could feel the prickling of tears welling up in frustration.

"Resist temptation. Mysterious thing, time. Powerful, and when meddled with, dangerous." He clasped his hands together and settled further back into his seat.

Ginny sat abjectly, willing herself not to cry in front of one of the most powerful wizards of all time. Once was enough back in first year.

Sensing her fragile state of mind, he rose from his seat signalling the end of the conversation. "I will be in contact with you as soon as I've heard back from my contact. In the meantime don't hesitate in asking for assistance."

Ginny began to shuffle towards the door, wishing she did not have a Defence against the Dark Arts class in an hour.

"As I always say Miss Fawcett, help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." Were his parting words before Ginny left his office.

 **-V-**

After classes for the day had been completed and Evelyn had left for a prefect meeting, Ginny found herself curled up on a rather comfortable armchair in the common room, flipping through the pages of the Daily Prophet, trying to distract herself from what Dumbledore had said. Ever since last year's atrocious reporting on Harry she had always read anything printed on its pages with a jaded eye.

'Grindelwald's Terror' was emblazoned on the front page and Ginny scanned through the printed words, finding it much more distressing than listening to Professor Binns discussing it in class decades later.

A few other Ravenclaw students were scattered around the common room but just as it had been for the past couple of weeks, they did not pay any mind to her. Ginny was just thrilled with the fact that they weren't staring anymore.

It had been hard getting through her last class. If anything she felt stupid for getting her hopes up like that. Dumbledore had said it would take time and she would just have to deal with that however she could. She longed to really talk to someone about her problem. She felt too intimidated in Dumbledore's presence but who else was there?

Hearing the door to the tower creaking open Ginny glanced up to see Evelyn returning from her meeting. She watched her walk towards the dormitories, almost skipping. It looked like she had just heard a particularly amusing joke as she was sporting a large grin. Instantly curious, Ginny folded up her paper and followed the prefect up to the dorms.

Evelyn was standing in the middle of the room, hands on her hips when Ginny entered.

"Meeting was good then?" Evelyn jumped, hand to her chest and spun around to face a now smirking Ginny.

"Oh," she paused. "I was just looking for you."

"And here I am." Ginny jumped onto her bed, throwing her copy of the prophet onto her bedside table. "How was the meeting?"

At this Evelyn gave a rather sly smile before hopping on her own bed to face Ginny. "Oh nothing very interesting to report I'm afraid." Her tone implied otherwise. Ginny's curiosity was piqued.

"Oh really now?" She said airily lying back against the bed's headboard and crossing her arms. "And why don't I believe you."

"I have not the foggiest idea what you're talking about." She said primly.

The redheaded witch harrumphed and continued to watch her friend not meet her eye with that sly smile still plastered on her face.

Never one with much patience Ginny counted to three before blurting out. "Come on, out with it!"

"Alright, alright!" Evelyn laughed. "It's just-" She let out an uncharacteristically girly giggle.

"Merlin this must be good." Ginny slid to the edge of her bed, kicking her legs out excitedly.

"Oh yes, you'll just _love_ it." She paused for dramatic effect. "A certain wizard whom you irrationally dislike has been asking about you."

Ginny's stomach dropped instantly, almost too afraid to ask she murmured. "Please tell me this is a joke."

Evelyn, finding great joy in the situation, laughed again. "Tom Riddle wants to know everything about you." She sang teasingly.

Face in her palms Ginny groaned, cursing herself for not shutting her big mouth when he walked her to the common room. "I'm such an idiot."

"You know I'm still waiting to hear exactly what happened after detention. You're being very coy you know." Smiling mischievously Evelyn shuffled closer. "You must have left a lasting impression."

"Merlin I'm an idiot." Ginny repeated.

"Explanation now, complaining later."

"I… I can hardly remember. It was nothing. He just thinks I don't like him."

"Well you don't." Evelyn scoffed.

"Yeah, but he wasn't supposed to know that." She mumbled under her breath. "Well what did he ask you?"

Evelyn pursed her lips in thought. "Well, he didn't ask me anything."

Ginny waited for her to continue but it became evident she was going to make Ginny drag out every bit of information. "Who did he ask then?"

"He didn't exactly ask anyone."

Ginny fell back on her bed hands to her temples. "Evelyn! Did you make that up just to embarrass me?"

Evelyn reddened. "I suppose I may not have worded things properly…" She trailed off.

"On purpose!" Ginny exclaimed. "Just to antagonise me and I thought we were friends!"

"You're being very dramatic Ginny." Evelyn was still smiling. "He didn't ask about you per say-"

"So you lied."

"-but a few others were and he seemed quite interested." Evelyn continued, ignoring Ginny's interruption. "It was before the meeting had officially begun and we were waiting for a few of the late ones. Cyril from Hufflepuff was asking if you'd settled down alright, lovely guy though kind of forgetful, I told him how you were doing great. That it was like you'd always been at Hogwarts, never getting lost." At this Ginny closed her eyes in frustration, yet another slip up. "Tom was watching me, listening to my answers I would guess. Anyway by this point everyone's arrived and Cyril said 'It must be exciting knowing someone looking for manticores in Australia'-"

"He's looking for dragons." Ginny interjected, trying to save face from her latest slip up on her 'background'. " _Atleast I can remember that one." S_ he thought.

Evelyn gave her a knowing look. "I know, so does Tom Riddle who told him as such."

Ginny frowned, not liking that he knew things about her, even if it was common knowledge to the school. "That's strange."

"You don't understand. It was very out of character for him." She said excitedly. "He never talks about anyone… or anything really, at least not like that. Everyone in the room went silent."

Ginny's frown worsened, she didn't like this latest development at all. She wasn't supposed to attract any attention yet she had, and from the very person she absolutely shouldn't have. She had been worrying about this more and more for the past couple of days. Each time she walked by Riddle he would always greet her, not Evelyn only her, much to the amusement of Evelyn, and now he was talking about her. What was she supposed to do if Dumbledore didn't want her to interfere?

"I think you've intrigued him. Maybe he wants to know what your tutor taught you. He seems interested in all things magical." Evelyn was still laughing about the incident and teasing her now quiet friend. "Come on, dinner should be served soon."

The two girls made their way down to the Great Hall, thankfully discussing classes instead of boys. Ginny's mind was still elsewhere trying to assess what her next move should be towards Riddle. She'd purposely been taking long routes to class today just to avoid the possibility of seeing him but she didn't think that would be enough knowing how ruthless he was when he wanted something. The only problem was, Ginny wasn't sure what he wanted. Did he know? All she could hope for was that Evelyn was over-exaggerating the situation.

Taking a seat at the Ravenclaw table Ginny began to pile up her plate with roast beef. Evelyn learnt quite early on that Ginny had a ravenous appetite. Growing up with all her brothers Ginny couldn't quit old habits. At least she didn't look nearly as horrendous as Ron when he ate, but tonight was different altogether.

Picking at her roast beef with her fork, not quite able to stomach what she usually could, Ginny glanced around the room. She couldn't stop herself from roving her eyes past the Slytherin table, pausing on the pale face of one Tom Riddle. It seemed he too did not have quite an appetite, his plate still full, fork in one hand poking at the food like her. He had his chin resting in his palm lazily as he listened to his housemates.

Why did this have to happen to her? Sensing eyes on him, Riddle glanced up his gaze gliding directly to the Ravenclaw table. It happened more times than she would have liked, these shared looks. Almost as soon as his eyes had made contact with hers his lips pulled up into that same mocking smirk he saved for her. It made her blood boil. She glared for good measure before pointedly staring down at her plate.

 _What a mess._

Her thoughts were pulled back to the present when Ethan Harris came striding towards them with an easy smile on his face. Ginny grinned back, happy for the distraction, as he made his way over to their end of the table and taking a seat opposite them.

"Ginny, Evie." He said with a nod to each. "Gregans finished last year didn't he?"

"Yes he left and yes they are looking for a new chaser this year Ethan." Evelyn huffed. "Should have known that was why you came over here."

"Now now," He replied, hands up in mock surrender. "I also wanted to check on how Ginny is holding up."

Ginny perked up at the talk of quidditch. "I'm sensational thanks for asking Ethan." She deadpanned. "What's this about a new chaser? Are we talking about Ravenclaw?"

Evelyn sighed as it became clear that quidditch would once again be the main topic. "Yes, Ethan over here," She jabbed her fork towards him. "Tries to get all the details of our team even though I repeatedly tell him I don't know anything he doesn't."

He shrugged good-naturedly. "Maybe one day things will change."

"Well when's the try outs?" Ginny asked, getting excited at the thought of hopping back on a broom.

Evelyn frowned, tilting her head to the side. "It's on the weekend I think. Why did you want to watch?"

Ethan had cottoned on already to what Ginny was suggesting. "No way! Are you going to try out?" He exclaimed.

Looking at Evelyn's expression of shock, Ginny was regretting speaking up. "Yes," she said uncertainly. "I'd be a good chaser."

Ethan shook his head in disbelief. "You're something else Ginny Fawcett."

"There's no other girls on the Ravenclaw team Ginny." Evelyn explained. "Nor the Slytherin or Gryffindor team, I think there's one in Hufflepuff though. It's just…" she trailed off

"It's stupid!" Ethan interjected. "You should try out, though you'll never match my skills on the broom." He bragged.

Ginny debated the two options in her head. Yes, she was trying to keep a low profile and it seemed this may cause a bit of a stir here at this era of Hogwarts, but on the other hand she knew being on the team would be a needed distraction. "I will try out."

"I'll cheer you on." Evelyn gave her a small smile, though still looking quite puzzled at the thought that Ginny actually wanted to try out.

"Excellent." Ethan rose from his seat. "I'll be sure to inform the captain of this great new Intel I just received."

Both girls rolled their eyes before waving goodbye. Evelyn did not broach the subject of quidditch again, instead choosing to discuss her latest potions essay. Ginny hummed in agreement and nodded when necessary but was more distracted with a certain dark wizard whose gaze she could still feel was upon her. Refusing to look up Ginny stared down and attempted to ignore the prickling feeling on the back of her neck and the goose bumps forming on her arms.

Ginny was embarrassed by her reaction to him. He was still just a student after all, granted a very twisted and deranged student with grand schemes to take over the wizarding world, but Ginny reasoned these plans hadn't come to fruition yet.

Dumbledore had told her to stay away and to resist temptation to purposely alter the future, but how could she stop herself?

 _How about I don't change the past… maybe I can just observe._

Ginny nearly slapped herself right in the middle of the Great Hall. Of course it was so simple. She didn't have to go up to Riddle and off him or demand him to stop his silly scheme. All she had to do was find some useful information. Things that would help Harry. There must be loads of dark deeds Riddle got up to here at Hogwarts that would be useful. Maybe she could just find those.

The next obstacle presented itself, how would she find out his hidden secrets? She certainly couldn't bring herself to befriend him. Just one look from him caused her to scowl and hide and he didn't seem to be in desperate need for friends. There was no one she could try and question.

Ginny continued to ponder what to do when she noticed Riddle rise from his seat and begin to stride purposely out of the hall. Impulsively Ginny stood up, hands splayed atop the table.

She was going to follow him.

 **-V-**

 **A/N:** Another chapter, yes! Hope everyone is enjoying so far. It's always a slow start at the beginning trying to set up the back drop but it's getting to the main plot of the story and I'm excited! Ginny's on a mission, haha. I'm sure we can all guess it's not the best idea to spy on the future Dark Lord buuuut that's Ginny for you.

And yes that is a direct HP quote, couldn't resist.

Please leave a review with your thoughts on this chapter, I'd appreciate it. THANK YOU!


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